Oil Paintings : Franziska von Vietinghoff

 Oil, a medium that I had not used before, was the next challenge. When I learnt to paint with oil, it was in the midst of a long dark Nordic winter. It struck me that only bold colours would do as they might brighten the gloom of that season.  They did.

I set out painting floral motifs, well knowing that there are as many ways to paint a flower as there are painting artists. Georgia O’Keefe came to mind as a master who might flood me with inspiration. However, there was a problem in that Georgia painted on huge canvases and I was not ready for that. I wanted to paint on smaller canvases.

When Georgia O’Keefe once was asked why her flowers are so big, she said that if she painted the flowers small nobody would notice them. I thought, my flowers at 25 x 25 cm will be small but most of them will captivate with the brilliance of their colour tones.

What is shown below are six eclectic floral paintings. Some of them are inspired by masters, including Helene Schjerfbeck and Emil Nolde. One of them, an expressive painting, is both dramatic and decorative - the Red Lily. Another one has a definitely demure countenance - the Lily of the Valley. One is strong with ears that look as if they are alert for sounds from what looks like a jungle behind it – the blue Iris. One of the paintings comes close to Georgia O’Keefe, as it loudly stands up for itself, here I am, and I might startle you with a fanfaronade – the Canna Lily.

The oil used is water-based oil from tubes that can be bought as a set. This oil dries much quicker than regular oils but less rapidly than acrylic paints. It mixes easily and allows a good flow with a brush that has a mildly soft stiffness. Oil is a perfect medium.

Magnolia

White Lily

Red Lily

Blue Iris

Lily of the Valley

Canna Lily

Franziska von Vietinghoff may be reached at <franziskavv@gmail.com>

You can see some of Franziska's works by clicking on the below links :

acrylics

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